[IC] Banding Together in Halloween Town

[LePouvantail]

"Found very big, good seed. Planted it. It grow just as big," Behemoth explained. "And mulch. Lots of mulch. Big Pumpkinhead very hungry."

He set his shovel down.

"Come. I show Corvin."

[SystemofEleven]

Carver nodded and followed along, nodding and listening contentedly as Behemoth showed him the ropes of pumpkin farming. Again.

One of his oldest friends, the caretaker of the pumpkin fields had taught him everything he knew about the growing and harvesting of the plants over the decades, and Carver never quite tired of hearing the simple but earnest words and seeing the happiness Behemoth clearly felt at having someone to share it with. The big monster had the same passion for pumpkin farming as the witches had for potion brewing and Finkelsteins had for science. Unlike the witches and the Finkelsteins, however, Behemoth was quieter and sweeter about it; Carver never felt like he was being lectured, even when that's what was technically happening.

There was of course the secondary bonus that Carver got to rest his "automaton" voice for a while. It helped sell the bit, but even he found it annoying after a while.

[LePouvantail]

Behemoth happily gave "Corvin" a tour of the pumpkin patch, including a look inside the Big Pumpkinhead.

"Watch for youngins'," he said. "Sometimes like to hide in there."

A soft, lazy smile crossed his face.

"Lots of youngins' in town. Some your size. Some smaller. All like the Big Pumpkinhead."

Behemoth continued his tour and showed "Corvin" some of the highlights, such as the twisted, maze-like vines that shifted and moved, hidey holes he knew of, where the river gently flowed through the patch, and finally, where the pumpkin patch bordered the graveyard.

"Good view of Spiral Hill from here," Behemoth told him. "Can see some tombstones, too."

[SystemofEleven]

"Youngins?" 'Corvin' asked. "My size?" He frowned thoughtfully. "I think, I met some, yester, day. One said, her name, was Shock. She was, very nice, to me. But, the witches, did not seem, to like, her very, much."

"It is, a good view," he agreed when they go to the stone wall that separated the pumpkin patch from the graveyard. "I think, that hill, would be, a good spot, to watch, for birds."

[LePouvantail]

Behemoth gave "Corvin" a small frown when he mentioned Shock.

"She plays tricks," he said thoughtfully. "So do her brothers. Most around here are careful when crossing paths with them."

He patted "Corvin's" shoulder.

"But can be good friend to pumpkinheads. Good friends with other pumpkinhead. Her name is Carver."

Behemoth glanced around the pumpkin patch to look for her. Carver had only come by once since her punishment for the Halloween prank.

"Carver sometimes visits pumpkin patch. Should introduce you sometime. Tricky too, but good heart."

He smiled again.

"No one here truly mean," he said. "Just scare in different ways."

Upon noticing "Corvin's" observation about the spiral hill, he nodded in agreement.

"Can see lots of things from there," Behemoth said, "but harder to come down here to scare."

[SystemofEleven]

"Carver, a pumpkin, head? Seems, interesting," he replied with the tiniest of smirks. "I look, forward to, meeting, her."

Carver started to correct Behemoth but quickly shut himself up before saying that the hill could unwind to provide a path over the wall directly into the pumpkin patch. Corvin wouldn't know that. Yet... He made a mental to note to manipulate one of the other citizens into telling him about that, so he could use it as an excuse when the trio needed him for a lookout.

[LePouvantail]

The tour now over, Behemoth started to head back to the mulch pile.

"Sure she'll come 'round," he said. "You two be good friends."

He smiled at "Corvin".

"Always like new friend."

[SystemofEleven]

"Friends are, always, good," 'Corvin' replied with a smile. He waved as Behemoth got back to work, then wandered off toward town to look for Lock. He was likely still attached to Lillith, but the pumpkin creature was running a number of plans through his empty metal head on how to get around that.

First, he had to get out of the pumpkin patch, though. Carver had made a habit of just using his vines to climb over the walls, rather than bothering with the gates. The pumpkin patch was separated into a few different sections by winding inner walls, so that Behemoth could more easily keep track of which pumpkins had been planted how long before and therefore notice if they weren't growing as well as they should. Useful in tracking time with the monotony of daily life in Halloween Town, but not so useful in allowing a direct path from one end of the patch to another. Luckily, Finkelstein's latest sentient creation had all but been built for getting into, over, and through things most monsters simply weren't capable.

Carver cheerfully made his way to one of the inner walls and reach up to pull himself over -- and realized his arms didn't have the length, height, or leverage to properly reach over the stones to get a grip on the other side. With the seven inches he had lost in the body upgrade, the wall now came to just at his shoulder level. His new metal fingers were strong, but they weren't flexible enough to reach around the top and gain a grip on the other side. He hopped a couple of times, trying to get some kind of purchase, but it just... wasn't working. He didn't have enough pushing power in the legs of the exoskeleton, and the construction as a whole was also significantly heavier than the old design. He could only get his feet a couple inches off the ground.

"Tryout this new body, carver. It's so much more resilient, Carver. Your hooligan friends won't be able to damage you anymore, Carver," he groused quietly to himself as he glared at the infuriating barrier with crossed arms.

After a moment, he stomped off to try a different section of the wall. Maybe one of the more craggly areas would have a rock jutting out somewhere he could use as a foothold. There were the gates, still, of course, but he refused to use those on principle. He'd never bothered with them before, and he wasn't going to start now!

[LePouvantail]

Fortunately, Carver wouldn't have to go far to find Lock. Unfortunately, it was because Lillith was leading her boyfriend through the pumpkin patch to one of their favorite nooks. They stopped to see "Corvin" at the wall and trying to hop. Lock grinned.

"Are you having a little trouble there, Corvin?" he asked.

Lock kept a careful, polite tone to appear helpful to the "newcomer," but he knew "Corvin" would catch his drift. The smirk on his face as he stood just behind Lillith so she wouldn't see it confirmed it.

[SystemofEleven]

Carver nearly snarled at Lock, but clenched his jaw shut and let the sound come out as one of surprise. He had to take a moment to work his features into an expression of innocence and curiosity.

"I, am sorry," he said. "I did not, see you, there. I was, chasing, a rat. I, could not, see, where it, went."

Lillith chuckled at the childish monster. She stepped over to the wall and peered over. "Well, I don't see it anywhere, so I think it made a sneaky escape while it had the chance. It might have burrowed under the wall, though."

Carver perked up and dropped to his knees to peer at the base of the wall, as if looking for a hole. "Under, where?" he asked excitedly. "I can, scare it, out!"

"Under-- Oh! Stars above my coffin, that reminds me. I forgot something at the manor. We simply must go back for it. It was good to see you again, Corvin. Come, pet." She turned back the way they came, keeping her 'pet' on a rather short leash.

[LePouvantail]

Lock watched "Corvin" search for the rat with a devious smile on his face.

"I'm sure you'll make short work of it," he said in that same calm, even tone.

He groaned when he realized Lillith forgot something. Lock didn't mind going where Lillith wanted him to. He did mind having to go all the way back into town. The little devil dug his heels in.

"All the way?" he whined. "We just got here!"

[SystemofEleven]

Lillith raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not that far of a walk."

She suddenly smirked and pulled on his leash just enough to put pressure on the back of his collar. "And I do believe I gave you an order. Which you have not immediately followed. How do you think you should be punished?" she asked sweetly.

Carver hid a smirk by pretending to continue looking for a rat hole.

[LePouvantail]

The second he felt the tug, Lock realized his mistake. He quickly answered her.

"Uh...a spanking?" he asked, with a slight grin and a hopeful lilt in his voice.

He flipped Carver off behind his back. Even without seeing it, he knew the pumpkin creature was having a silent laugh at his expense.

[SystemofEleven]

Lillith chuckled evilly. "oh, I think not. Nice try, however."

She pulled him closer to the wall and tied his leash to one of the crooked iron spikes sticking out of the top of the stonework. "If you don't want to walk back with me, you can just stay here, then." She smirked at him and put her commanding voice back on: "Sit. Stay."

Carver snickered, fully enjoying this display. When Lillith glanced over to see what he found so funny, he ran off along the wall yelling in his best Excited Spooky Corvin voice that, "I, SEE YOU, RAT!"

[LePouvantail]

Damn.

Lock's disappointment quickly became horror when he realized what the punishment was: more for Lillith abandoning him than being chained to the fence.

"Wait! We can walk back! Lillith--!"

But as soon as she gave him the command, he sat down, albeit grudgingly. He glared at Carver, but otherwise just quietly sat where commanded with a pout.

[SystemofEleven]

Lillith patted him on the head and said, "Be good, pet. I'll be right back." Then she merrily skipped back toward town, her vampiric nature preventing the motion from being anything other than astoundingly graceful.

Carver waited until she was gone before stopping his charade and returning to Lock. "I did have a message for you from Shock, but if you want me to not say anything and pretend I did -- which she'd happily believe me over you, at the moment -- then by all means, please keep taunting me about the stupid shortcomings my dear old dad included in this body I didn't ask for. Pet," he added condescendingly.

[LePouvantail]

Lock sulked at head pat.

"And where am I gonna go?" he grumbled.

He probably could, with enough effort and twisting his body, jump up onto the edge of the fence and finagle the leash to get it off, but with his luck, he'd get himself free right as Lillith got back. It therefore wasn't worth the effort.

"Oh, like I have any choice about my height, either," Lock said bitterly. "You've only been shorter a few days. I've been the shortest for years."

He smirked.

"And you're already falling to pieces about it. Baby legs."

Lock would have flicked his tail if he could.

"So if you're done proving you can't drink your own potion, what's the message?"

[SystemofEleven]

Carver growled. "It's not just the shortness for me, and you damn well know it!" He took what looked for all intents and purposes like a deep calming breath, then conceded, "But fine, if this body ever gets damaged enough to need another upgrade, I won't make fun of you anymore once I'm taller than you."

He grunted. "Anyway, the message was that the next time Barrel makes spicy food for dinner, to switch your bowl with his when he's not looking. Now, I have to get going before your girlfriend flies back and sees 'Corvin' not being a childish vermin-chasing fool."

He waved and stomped off to go find a shorter section of fence where he could keep trying to pull himself over, outside the field of view of any onlookers who might happen to pass by.

[LePouvantail]

Lock smirked, as he already caught the loophole.

"Sure thing, pumpkin stump."

His smirk widened when he got the message. It was probably further vengeance against Barrel for screwing up the broom trick to fully satisfy her pettiness. Why else would she ruin Barrel's attempt at one?

Lock watched Carver storm off, but it didn't matter. He'd be in a much better mood when Lillith got back.

[SystemofEleven]

Carver scowled as he left, but didn't continue the conversation. Gift given, and blame appropriately misallocated, he continued his current mission to get out of the pumpkin patch without using the gates.

Lillith returned shortly thereafter with a box under her arm, her vampiric grace keeping her footsteps completely silent as she approached him from behind. She took a moment to watch his demeanor -- he seemed oddly non-sulky considering his punishment -- before announcing her presence and untying his leash to continue toward their destination.

---

Meanwhile, now that the shop was closed for the day, Agatha was pacing back and forth across her room, periodically stopping to look again at the notes and books strewn across her bed. She had a good, solid idea of what she wanted to do. She just couldn't figure out how to execute it so it was timed properly.

"AUNT AGGIE! AUNT AGNES!" she finally called in desperation. "Can you please come help me with a hex?""